FAA ATP Written exam

[leonard17F]

Hi All !

Several questions regarding the FAA ATP written test:
- Is there a test center (Lasergrade or other) in London ? (I know there is one in LeBourget near Paris)
- How long does it take to study ? (I did my CPL-IR writtens in 2x3days full time)
I already have the 2005 book, but I have not studied much so far.... I saw on the ASA website that the FAA will change the questions on June 13th.
- Will the 2006 questions be VERY different ?
- Is there a Pilot Shop in London where I could buy a prepware CD from ?
- Is there anybody out there willing to sell its old prepware CD and FedEx to me ?

Thanks a milion
Leonard

[fescalised portion]

Go to www.faatest.com and download the current test questions. It gives you all of the questions and answers in the format that you will actually see on the computer screen when you take the exam for real. You can practice the test as many times as you want.

I think it costs about $25. I did this for all of my tests (PPL, IR, CPL) and passed all of them in the mid 90's % mark. I found it much easier to use than the Gleim books.

[PaddyMcGinty]

Hi,
Was in USA couple of weeks ago doing my IR, it was a crazy rush and i managed to fail my oral the day before i went home, without sitting the skills test. I had a feeling i would fail it but just went for it considering i was going home the next day. Because it is FAA and in JAA we dont do an oral exam like that one, do you think it may affect my ability of obtaining employment once qualified? I will be converting the FAA rating once i have it. Thanks.

Steve

[airbum]

Does anyone know if the FAA has any rules regarding in what order to take tests?
I have a PPL and wanted to opt for a CFI rating and there are several schools in US that offer training if I cleared the writtens first. But can I take all the written exams first (IR/CPL/CFI) and then go and complete all the flight training in one session?

[B200Drvr]

If I understand you correctly, you want to complete the CFI written and flight check ride before you complete your comm.
Two things, number one is I dont think you are allowed by FAR's to do it, I dont have a FAR/ AIM with me but am sure you need a commercial certificate (even though you are not going to instruct untill you have a comm).
Second, the FAA CFI if done with a FSDO is probably the hardest and most comprehensive flight test around. Your chances of passing without the knowledge aqquired during your comm are practically 0%. You can look forward to a 5-8 hour intensive oral question session, in which the examiner gives you very little room for indecision or lack of knowledge.

[johnnypick]

You can take the written tests in whatever order you like, ATPL first, PPL last if you want (they're valid for 2 years I think). To be able to do the CFI check ride you need an unrestricted FAA CPL (basically an FAA CPL with an FAA instrument rating). You can do all the training at once, I know a couple of people who did the CPL and CFI training at the same time, I'd keep the IR seperate though. IR first, then CPL and CFI together would be my advice.

[-IBLB-]

A CPL and Instrument rating is required to have, before you can do the Flight Instructor Airplane checkride.

As said above, you can do them in any order you want to. Remember that for the PPL, IR, CPL and FOI writtens an endorsement is required from a CFI or AGI. There is not one required for the CFI written, or de CFII written.

I have to agree with B200Drvr, in that the CFI is the most difficult checkride around. I found it harder then any of my other FAA and JAA exams. Don't underestimate it, especially if you don't have any other experience teaching.

[airbum]

Thanks for all your replys.
Personally I started to wonder when I saw that the questions for IR and CFII was collected from the same pool of questions so it felt natural to do both of them at the same time.

From a checkride point of view I wanted to go (after taking all the writtens) IR to CPL SE+ME, and then the three CFI ratings. I am aware about the hard CFI examinations, back at my old school in the US there is one guy who been training for it during the last nine months.. And just as I left they drilled another poor bloke for two full days during the oral+flight test.

[rziola]

Good Day Chaps,

Little confused about the difficulty of the FAA Exams and there structure, seems we have a lot more to do for the JAA exams . Can someone just confirm that for the FAA exams the following:
1. Private Pilot (1 Exams, multi choice)
2. Commercial (1 Exam, multi choic)
3. Instrument/Multi (Written exam for this ?)
4. CFI etc

Would be nice if someone could point me the right way, just to know what exams have to be done the FAA route and whether I could do them before I attend the course.
Richard

[boogie-nicey]

The FAA exams arent as daunting as the over the top JAA ones. This is due to a few reasons such as public distribution of the knowledge base from which the FAA extract their questions. Numerous audio/visual aids to help learn from the likes of King Schools, Jepessen, etc. Instrcutor led coruses at some schools in the evenings/weekends.

Also there's none of that silliness that JAA like to use when a student who knows his/her stuff is constantly tricked and made to fall over at each and every hurdle. With the FAA exams the questions are more practical and if you don't know it you'll fail anyway otherwise you should get through okay.

Takes time to get through all the material if you really want to learn something otherwise there are those who just revise the questions of by heart and just scrape through over a couple of attempts. But what's the point if you can put the effort in to learn the questions then why not learn the subject matter? Best to learn the material as you'll also need it during the FAA oral which is quite significant and part of the testing process without which you will not be walking out to the aircraft! My Multi-engine INstrument Oral was HEAVY to say the least and the others before it weren't an easy ride neither. In fact during my single engine Commercial I revised alot and thought that I knew enough not to worry about the oral but at the end of the flight test the examiner said your flying was good enough to compensate for some areas oral, huh :) Anyway I was VERY THANKFUL that I had done all the dull boring and at times pointless studying during my written exams.

Just study and go for it and remember many people before you have also done it so it is possible.

Good luck and all the best.

:ok:

[B2N2]

PPL 60 questions Multiple Choice 2.5 hrs
Instrument 60 questions Multiple Choice 2.5 hrs
CPL 60 questions Multiple Choice 2.5 hrs

No written test for Multi engine.

For Flight Instructor Initial:

Fundamentals of Instruction 60 questions Multiple Choice
Flight Instructor general 100 questions Multiple Choice

For Flight Instructor Instrument the test is the same as for the Instrument rating, just the title is different.
After you pass the Instrument written take the FI right away.

Tests are RELATIVELY easy, prepare for the oral.......otherwise :{

[chrisbl]

PPL is 60 questions muliple choice 2.5 hours
IR is 60 questions multiple choice 2.5 hrs
CPL is 100 questions multiple choice 3 hours

anything else you need to know is here

http://www.faa.gov/education_research/testing/airmen/test_guides/

[rziola]

Thanks for all the great feedback.
Just one more question, now that I have reviewed the structure, does anyone know where in the UK I can sit the FAA written exams ? I assume I can do all the written test before I attent the practical flight training ?
Richard

[RVR800]

www.soloflight.co.uk

[boogie-nicey]

I remember doing some exams at Gloucester but I think rather than a flight school it's the exam and tests service provider that you offer these and numerous other tests (CATS and others). They have centres around a few places and you can do everything from accounting to airmen tests. However that was a couple of years ago so things might have changed substantially since then.

Good luck.

[scameron77]

I'd echo B2N2's thoughts on the CFII exam with respect to doing it at the same time as the IR if you are going down that route.

The only thing I found was the questions were ever so slightly harder than the IR. For example, in multiple choice quesitons you usually get one answer that is bull****, one that is in the back of your mind from when you read the particular chapter but not relevant and two answers to scratch your head over, but one generally is right.

I found that in the CFII there were two answers that were correct, it was just that one of those was MORE correct than the other.

I'd also add I used a mix of the Gliem books and Martha Kings software (despite her afro, a hairdo that managed to conjure up a mixture of oddly arousing and fearful feelings, which I imagine I'll need years of therapy to erase from my brain)

[chrisbl]

The FAA website has all the answers.

http://www.faa.gov/education_research/testing/airmen/media/test_centers.pdf